Survey and Report on Research Data Management Needs at Tufts

Tufts University’s health sciences campus has not conducted a survey on researchers’ research data habits and needs since at least 2020. In that time, demands on researchers for managing and sharing their data have increased, with more federal compliance regulations, changes from funding agencies such as the NIH and more journals requiring data deposit for publication. I would like to conduct a survey to find out more about our researchers' data management needs and how Hirsh Library can better support their needs, wants, and anxieties around data sharing and compliance. Over the course of the Fall semester, the intern for this project will help:

• Research best practices for survey design and outreach,
o Use findings to update Hirsh Library’s LibGuide on surveys,
• Write or design a survey on current research data habits and needs,
• Distribute the survey to relevant health sciences researchers at Tufts,
• Organize and run focus groups,
• Analyze survey data and focus group outcomes, and
• Write and distribute a report on the survey findings.

These actions will help us strategize the best next steps for outreach and education on research data services at Hirsh Library, as well as potentially alert researchers to resources they may not have been aware of.

The intern will also be invited to participate in or shadow routine data management work, such as team meetings, workshops, and informational interviews with researchers.

With any extra time, there are several additional projects the intern could work on, depending on their interests. These include:
• Creating educational materials for our Research Data @ Tufts webpage,
• Assisting with UI/UX testing of Research Data @ Tufts webpage, or
• Helping plan and organize upcoming Carpentries workshops at Tufts.